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Twente S-bahn
| status = operating | locale = Twente, Achterhoek, Northrhine-Westphalia | predecessor = | first = | last = | successor = | operator = Syntus Twente | formeroperator = Connexxion | ridership = 59,233,620 (2015) | ridership2 = | website = | start = | stops = 84 | end = | distance = 154 km | journeytime = | frequency = Twice hourly on every line | trainnumber = | line_used = | class = | access = On most stations | seating = 134 seats per separate unit 10 folded seats per unit 120 standing passengers per unit | sleeping = | autorack = | catering = | observation = | entertainment = | baggage = | otherfacilities = | stock = 55 | gauge = 1,435 mm | el = | speed = 100 kph maximum speed, 80 kph general speed | owners = | routenumber = | map = | map_state = }}The Twente S-bahn ( : Twentse S-baan; Dutch Low Saxon: Tweantsen S-boan; : Twentebahn) is an urban and suburban system located in the Dutch Low Saxon province of Twente, with branches into the Achterhoek and the German Kreise and , centralised around the city of Enschede. It has a length of 154 kilometres (95.7 miles) and covers 84 stations. The S-bahn system was created in the 1950s as part of an effort to modernise the region. An S-bahn system was created that followed many of the former rail lines that by then had fallen into disuse and disrepair. The Twente S-bahn opened in 1956 and initially consisted of two lines: the Alenol Line and the Winengron Line. Both of these lines cross international borders with Germany, and thus there were border checks at Broekheurne and Brook. As the system saw its popularity soar during the 1970s, more lines were planned. In 1978, the Runenlo Line opened, followed by the Ehebo Line in 1980. The last addition to the system was the Heboha Line in 1999, which provided a direct connection between Haaksbergen and Hengelo, thus eliminating a transfer at Loerhazen. This was the first line and so far only line on the network to not pass through Enschede Centraal. In 2002, the Winengron Line was extended past Gronau to Ochtrup and Welbergen, together with the reopening of the rail services between Enschede on one side and Münster and Dortmund on the other. The Alenol Line also saw an extension to Ahaus, along a route that was formerly served only by bus. As of 2015 there are two future expansions in planning: the Haengrobe Line, which will provide a connection to Bad Bentheim, for 2017, and the Rhenhealmar Line, which will provide a connection between Rheine, Gronau, Enschede, Hengelo, Almelo and Mariënberg and is expected to open in 2019. These extensions will add 89 kilometres of track and increase the total number of stations to 124. An extension of the Haengrobe Line to Nordhorn and possibly Coevorden is being looked into as of 2015. History Initial plans The Twente S-bahn was created as part of the reconstruction efforts in the city of Enschede in the years directly after World War II. Those plans included a complete reorganisation of the city's street plan, the building of a new train station directly to the northwest of the city centre, and the creation of an S-bahn system that would connect Enschede with its surroundings. The initial plan included two lines following already existing train lines and replacing a couple of pre-existing services, i.e. the service between Enschede and Gronau. These plans included the Alenol Line and the Winengron Line, which are named after the first letters of the most important places they serve. The plans were supported by the provinces and the municipalities that were affected by the plans, and also enjoyed support from the neighbouring municipalities in Germany. Construction of the lines began in 1949, and was concluded in 1956, when the lines were officially opened. The tracks were electrified upon opening. The Alenol Line initially started with 12 stationsFrom south to north: Alstätte, Broekheurne, Wesselerbrink, Enschede Zuid, MST Haaksbergerstraat and Ariënsplein, Enschede Centraal, Roombeek, Deppenbroek and Oldenzaal.; the Winengron Line also had 12 stations From west to east: Winterswijk, Groenlo, Neede, Haaksbergen, Zoutindustrie, Boekelo, Enschede Centraal, Laares, Velve-Lindenhof, Glanerbrug and Gronau.. First expansions The system saw its popularity and therewith its ridership soar during the 1970s, especially during the and . It is believed that opening of 18 new stations (11 on the Winengron LineFrom west of east: Meddo, Café De Keet, Rietmolen, Haaksbergen West, Veldmaat-De Els, Marssteden, 't Bruggert, Elferink-Heuwkamp, 't Ribbelt, Glanerveld and Spechtholtshook. and 7 on the Alenol LineFrom south to north: Eichendorffsiedlung, Stroinkslanden, Lasonder-Zeggelt, Hulsmaat-Voortman, Voortman-Amelink, Sint Bernhardspark and Berghuizen.) in 1971 also contributed to the increased ridership. The provinces of Twente and Achterhoek wanted to utilise the sudden increase of ridership, a wish which was very much supported by several municipalities including Ruurlo, Borculo and Losser, who wished to be connected to the S-bahn system as well. This saw the plans of the provinces be executed in 1972, and by 1978 the extensions to Borculo, Ruurlo and Losser were finished and the Runenlo Line was opened. This meant that 11 new stations were being added to the network (9 on the Runenlo LineFrom west to east: Ruurlo, Dijkhoek, Borculo, Spilbroek, Glanerveld Noord, Glane-Beekhoek, De Pol and Losser., 1 on the Winengron LineBrook., and 1 shared between the two linesDe Eschmarke). The Runenlo Line saw the first tunnel of the network, running underneath Borculo. Another project on which works started in 1972 was the Ehebo Line. This line was built to connect the southern neighbourhoods of Enschede to Enschede Centraal, the northern neighbourhoods of Hengelo to Hengelo Centraal, to connect Hengelo to the Achterhoek, and to connect both cities to the airport. The line was opened in 1980 and saw 18 stations added to the networkIn clockwise order from Enschede Centraal: De Leuriks, Hogeland-Zuid, Varvik-Diekman, Boswinkel, Helmerhoek, Usselo, Loerhazen (two level metro station, with the Winengron and Runenlo Lines calling on the upper platform), Twekkelo, De Waarbeek, Berflo Es, FBK-stadion, Hengelo Centraal, Weidedorp, Woolderes, EXPO Westermaat, Schothorsthoek, Hasseler Es and Enschede Airport Twenthe. Direct connection Hengelo-Haaksbergen and Noordertunnel The municipality of Hengelo expressed the desire for a direct connection to the Achterhoek that did not require passengers to transfer at Loerhazen after the system turned out to be very popular during the 1980s in their municipality. For this reason, plans were made to create a direct rail connection between the two regions, and in 1996, construction on the Loerhazenboog began. A direct connection was not possible for financial and scheduling reasons, so Haaksbergen West was made a temporary terminus for the Eboha Line, which opened in 1999 and provide a direct service between Haaksbergen West and Hengelo that did not require a transfer at Loerhazen; passengers coming from the Achterhoek (and vice versa) could exit at Haaksbergen West and walk across the platform to the waiting Eboha Line train. Construction of the Noordertunnel started in 1995. Originally, according to the province's plans, the tunnel would run from the three-way crossing Haaksbergerstraat/Zuiderval underneath the Medisch Spectrum Twente Ariënsplein building and underneath Enschede Centraal, to resurface at the Lonnekerspoorlaan and continue from there across the viaduct. These plans were altered after the 2000 fireworks disaster. 2000 fireworks disaster .]] On the 13th of May 2000 at around 4 p.m., the fireworks compound of S.E. Fireworks exploded. A 40-hectare (100 acres, or 0.4 square kilometre) area around the warehouse was destroyed by the blast. Enschede was built around the SE Fireworks factory, which was located in a residential area. This caused around 400 houses to be destroyed, 15 streets incinerated and a total of 1,500 homes damaged, leaving 1,250 people homeless, essentially obliterating the neighbourhood of Roombeek. Ten thousand residents were evacuated, and damages eventually exceeded 1 billion seafaring krones. The explosion also destroyed large parts of the viaduct structure over which the Alenol and Ehebo Lines had been running through the Roombeek neighbourhood, irrepairably damaged Lasonder-Zeggelt and Hulsmaat-Voortman, and completely obliterated Roombeek metro station. Following the heavy explosion, the decision was quickly made to extend the Noordertunnel to Deppenbroek metro station, as the old route ran exactly past ground zero and construction there would not be possible for at least another four years. For the duration of the construction of the Noordertunnel, Alenol and Ehebo Line trains only ran to Enschede Centraal and Lonneker, as well as between Lonneker and Oldenzaal; there were no trains between Lonneker and Enschede Centraal, for which a replacement bus service was created. Post-disaster expansions After the fireworks disaster, many new extensions were built in addition to the Noordertunnel. These included an extension of the Alenol Line from Alstätte to Ahaus, adding three stations (Wessum, Kusenhook and Ahaus); an extension of the Winengron Line to Welbergen, adding five stations (Schöttelkotterhook, Eßseite, Ochtrup, Langenhorst and Welbergen); and the addition of six stations on already existing stretches of track (Winterswijk West, Oosteres, Overige komgebieden, IKEA, Campus and Vossenbelt). The Noordertunnel with all its pre-existing stations, the new stretches of track, and all new stations were opened for S-bahn use on 1 October 2002. Lines Alenol Line The Alenol Line (from 'Al'stätte, 'En'schede and 'Ol'denzaal), opened in 1956 together with the Winengron Line, originally ran from Alstätte in Germany to Enschede Centraal and from there to Oldenzaal. The line was heavily impacted by the 2000 Enschede fireworks disaster, but was rebuilt by 2002. An extension was also built to Ahaus in the same year. Prior to the creation of the Schengen Agreement, border checks were carried out at Broekheurne. As of 2015, the Alenol Line served 21 stations. Of those 21 stations, 14 are served solely by the Alenol Line. The official colour for the Alenol Line is yellow. Winengron Line The Winengron Line (from 'Wi'nterswijk, 'Ne'ede, 'En'schede and 'Gron'au), opened in 1956 together with the Alenol Line, originally ran from Winterswijk to Gronau in Germany via Groenlo, Eibergen, Neede, Haaksbergen and Enschede. An extension was built in 2002 so that the line continued past Gronau to Ochtrup, Langenhorst and Welbergen. As of 2015, the Winengron Line served 33 stations. Of those 33 stations, 17 are served solely by the Winengron Line. The official colour for the Winengron Line is dark blue. Runenlo Line The Runenlo Line (from 'Ru'urlo, 'Ne'ede, 'En'schede and 'Lo'sser), opened in 1978, connects Ruurlo, Borculo and Losser to the system. It runs on the original track of the Winengron Line between Neede and De Eschmarke, but branches off from there to form its own separate line. The Line was the first to be located entirely within Dutch Lower Saxony. With the opening of the Runenlo Line, 21.5 km of track was added. As of 2015, the Runenlo Line served 26 stations. Of those 26 stations, 10 are served solely by the Runenlo Line. Together with the Winengron Line it provides a quarterhourly service between Neede and Enschede. The official colour for the Runenlo Line is red. Ehebo Line The Ehebo Line (from 'E'nschede, 'He'ngelo and 'Bo'ekelo), opened in 1980, is a ringline which provides direct connections between the suburbs of Enschede and Hengelo with their respective town centres. Through transfer facilities at the for that purpose built Loerhazen metro station, there was now an indirect quick connection between Hengelo and the Achterhoek via the Winengron and Runenlo Lines. This transfer is no longer necessary since the opening of the Heboha Line. Trains travel the line in both directions every twenty minutes. The line runs from Enschede Centraal northwards, following the Alenol Line, but branches westwards after Lonneker. It runs past Enschede Airport Twenthe to Hasseler Es and Vossenbelt in Hengelo, following the A1 till it joins the pre-existing railroad to Hengelo Centraal. It then branches southwards in the direction of Boekelo, but just before the village it turns east and follows the A35/N35, running along the north of the southern neighbourhoods of Enschede before skirting around the eastern city edge and joining the Winengron and Runenlo Lines at Velve-Lindenhof and running back to Enschede Centraal. As of 2015, the Ehebo Line served 31 stations. Of these 31 stations, 15 are served solely by the Ehebo Line. The official colour for the Ehebo Line is green. Heboha Line The Heboha Line (from 'He'ngelo, 'Bo'ekelo and 'Ha'aksbergen), opened in 1999, provides a direct connection between Haaksbergen West and Hengelo Centraal. The line was created after the Loerhazenboog was opened, meaning that trains could run directly from Boekelo to Hengelo. Haaksbergen West was then chosen as the new transfer station, as transferring there did not require the use of different-level platforms. There are plans to extend the line from Borculo to Lochem and Zutphen by 2019. As of 2015, the Hehoba Line served 10 stations. None of these were served solely by the Hehoba Line, making it the only line on the system to not have any stations unique to the line. The official colour for the Hehoba Line is orange. Future lines There are two lines which are currently under construction. The Haengrobe Line (from 'Ha'aksbergen, 'En'schede, 'Gro'nau and Bad 'Be'ntheim) is expected to begin operating medio 2017. This line will start in Haaksbergen West and follow the Winengron Line for most of its length. It will branch off northwards between Eßseite and Ochtrup and squirm through Gildehaus and Bad Bentheim. The Rhenhealmar Line (from 'Rhe'ine, 'En'schede, 'He'ngelo, 'Al'melo and 'Mar'iënberg) is expected to begin operating at the end of 2019. This line will be an extension of the Winengron Line, continuing from Welbergen to Wettringen, Neuenkirchen, Rheine and Spelle, and will follow the tracks of the Staatslijn D and Almelo - Salzbergen railway to Almelo, after which it will continue over the Almelo - Mariënberg railway towards the latter. As of 2015, the province of Twente and the Kreis Grafschaft Bentheim are looking into an extension of the Haengrobe Line till Nordhorn, which is planned to be opened somewhere in the early 2020s. The province of Drenthe has expressed an interest to reopen the railway line between Coevorden and Nordhorn, which is supported by Grafschaft Bentheim. As of 2015, those ideas are researched for feasability by Syntus. There have been several attempts by the municipality of Denekamp for an extension of the Alenol Line to Denekamp and possibly Nordhorn, but these have so far been rejected for budgetary purposes. Syntus, in a press release in 2013, indicated that it did not forsee such an extension until at least 2028, citing low ridership projections and the limited number of stations.Brief van Syntus aangaande verlenging Alenollijn naar Nordhorn. Dated 12 July 2013. Possible future expansions There are a large number of expansions proposed by various governmental institutions and companies. Some of these are considered more feasible than others. The following list is arranged in order of feasibility. *Extension of the Runenlo line between Ruurlo and Doetinchem. This would follow the tracks of the former stretch of the Doetinchem - Hengelo railroad for the most part, and include a tunnel with a length of 1,636 metres underneath Zelhem. This extension enjoys support of the municipalities of Doetinchem, Ruurlo, Veldhoek and Zelhem, and is actively sought after by the province of Graafschap De Achterhoek. *Extension of the Winengron Line from Winterswijk into Germany. According to the plans, which have been proposed by the province of the Achterhoek and the Kreise Borken, Recklinghausen and Wesel, the extension would consist of two separate branches. One branch would follow the former Winterswijk - Bocholt railroad to Bocholt and then continue to Wesel, the other branch would follow the track of the Zutphen - Gelsenkirchen railroad to Borken and then continue to Dorsten. *Extension of the Heboha Line to Borculo, where it would branch off northwards to Lochem and then continue to Zutphen and Hoven. The plans are supported by the municipalities of Lochem and Almen and would cater to the municipality of Hoven's wish for the opening of a station; however, the municipality of Barchem is opposed to the plans. *Extension of the Alenol Line past Ahaus through the villages of Schöppingen, Horstmar, Laer and Altenberge towards Münster. There it would go underground and continue as such towards Wolbeck. This extension is especially supported by the city of Münster and also enjoys support from Ahaus and the towns it would run past; however, the Kreis Steinfurt has yet to take a stance on the proposed extension. *Extension of the Runenlo Line from Losser to De Lutte and from there towards Oldenzaal. This extension enjoys support from all three involved municipalities, but is dissuaded by Syntus. *The Dorenol Line; a line that would run from Oldenzaal to Alstätte, where it would branch off towards Vreden, Stadtlohn, Gescher and eventually terminate at Dorsten. The plans are controversial, enjoying support from Vreden, Stadtlohn, Dorsten and the Kreis Recklinghausen, but facing opposition from Gescher and the Kreis Borken. *The Henirigohaen Line; a line that would run from Enschede Centraal to Haaksbergen West, from where it would branch off towards Hengevelde, Diepenheim, Goor, Rijssen, Nijverdal and Hellendoorn. The plans enjoy support from Goor, Rijssen and Hellendoorn, but face staunch opposition especially from Nijverdal, Diepenheim, Hengevelde and Sint Isidorushoeve. It is also dissuaded by Syntus. Underground and street running Underground The Twente S-bahn has five underground stretches which are comprised of five tunnels totalling a lengh of 15,036 metres. The two oldest tunnels are the Dinkeltunnel and the Berkeltunnel, both opened in 1978 as part of the Runenlo Line, which was opened simultaneously. The Dinkeltunnel starts 470 metres north from Glane and ends at Losser; De Pol is located in between. It has a length of 2,274 metres. The Berkeltunnel starts 1,621 metres to the east of Borculo and ends 230 metres to the southwest of Overige komgebieden. It has a length of 2,621 metres. Another set of two tunnels was opened in 1980, together with the Ehebo Line; these are the Leurikstunnel and the Lonnekerlandentunnel. The Leurikstunnel starts immediately to the northeast of Hogeland-Zuid and ends immediately to the east of Velve-Lindenhof; De Leuriks is located in between. It has a length of 1,844 metres. The Lonnekerlanden tunnel starts 529 metres to the east of Enschede Airport Twenthe and ends 937 metres to the east of Hasseler Es. The former is the only metro station located within the tunnel. It has a length of 4,561 metres. The latest tunnel to be added to the system is the Noordertunnel in 2002. This tunnel was part of the reparation efforts after the 2000 Enschede fireworks disaster ruined a large part of the Alenol and Ehebo Lines north of Enschede Centraal. There where trains were originally over the Haaksbergerstraat, De Ruyterlaan, through the Prinsessetunnel, and up to the Lonnekerspoorlaan, was built the southern half of the tunnel, the entrance/exit of which is exactly halfway between 't Getfert and Medisch Spectrum Twenthe. There were trains originally ran overground above the Lonnekerspoorlaan, was built the northern half of the tunnel, the entrance/exit of which is located immediately south of Deppenbroek. The overground Lonnekerboog which connected the Ehebo with the Alenol Line was demolished and replaced with a tunnel as well. The tunnel has a length of 3,065 metres; the Lonnekerboog has a length of 671 metres. Located in the Noordertunnel are five stations: Medisch Spectrum Twenthe, Enschede Centraal, Lasonder-Zeggelt, Roombeek and Hulsmaat-Voortman. Part of Enschede Centraal is located above ground; the platforms of the station for the Ehebo Line are located in the Lonnekerboog. Street running As of 2015, a stretch of 1,349 metres belonging to the Alenol Line is running along the Zuiderval. This stretch starts just to the north of exit 25 to Enschede-Zuid on the A35 road and ends at the entrance of the Noordertunnel (see above). On this stretch are located the metro stations P+R Zuiderval and 't Getfert. Maximum speed on this stretch is 70 kph. The metro stations on this stretch also function as tram- and bus stops. On this stretch, the metro tracks are embedded in the asphalt, in a with the tram tracks. Until 2000, trains on the Alenol Line also used to street run past the Zuiderval over the Haaksbergerstraat and the De Ruyterlaan, through the Prinsessetunnel and over a short stretch of the Lonnekerspoorlaan before going overground again. This stretch has been removed after the 2000 Enschede fireworks disaster and replaced with the Noordertunnel. References Category:Twente S-bahn Category:Seafaring Confederation